The Emmy®
winning cross-cultural story of how an American adventurer
and a brilliant, self-taught Mexican artist transformed a
dying desert village into a home for world-class
ceramics.

From Video
Librarian:

“Scott
Petersen’s documentary winningly tells the tale of
MacCallum’s unlikely odyssey as an arts promoter, and
the film
also provides a fascinating portrait of Quezada’s
equally unlikely rise to prominence. The footage capturing
the creation of Quezada’s painstakingly precise designs is
wonderful, and MacCallum and Quezada’s accounts are
compelling.
The Renaissance of Mata Ortizoffers a
fascinating look at contemporary Mexican art and
culture.”

When
anthropologist Spencer MacCallum walked into a second-hand
store in Deming, New Mexico, in 1976 and bought three
pieces of pottery, he had no idea that he was about to
embark on a journey that would lead to the revival of an
ancient art form. Finding his way to Mata Ortiz, México,
MacCallum partnered with self-taught artist Juan Quezada
and slowly they created an industry that today is known
world-wide not only for its interpretations of a
centuries-old style of ceramics, but for stunning
post-modern works as well.
The
Renaissance of Mata Ortiztells the
improbable story of how Quezada (without a kiln or a
potter’s wheel and using only found materials) and
MacCallum both experienced creative and personal
breakthroughs which led to dazzling, innovating works by
Quezada and a passing of the torch to younger,
award-winning artists such asDiego Valles.